Continental hit the exact sweet spot with the 5000. Perfect mix of speed and flat resistance. Excellent cornering grip too. I use the 32mm size on both my road bike and gravel bike's road wheelset. Have worn out 25mm and 28mm similar Conti 4000s as well, and strongly recommend the 32mm width if your bike can take it. The lower pressure greatly & noticeably improves comfort, traction, and tread life. For the occasional fast smooth pavement ride you can pressure them up to be same or lower rolling resistance as thinner tires. I suppose their extra width adds wind resistance, but if that makes a statistically provable difference in your riding then no worries because your team mechanic is wrangling your gear anyway. My only qualification on the 5000 is that it should only see minimal gravel use. I ruined the sidewall on a rear tire one time.
I like how easy it mounts (slips) on to the rim. I had many other tires before and they were a pain to put on.
I even had to go see a bike shop mechanic to force other tires than the Contintal Grand Prix 5000 on the wheel.
The GP 5000 S-TRs are the best I've ever ridden and I've tried a lot! The rolling resistance of these tires are among the lowest in production - super fast, great road feel, supple and sticky. I'm 155 lbs, run them tubeless, and they last me about 3,000 miles on the rear; longer on the front. They are not a puncture free tire but for a race tire they are more durable than others (Pirelli, Specialized Turbo). If you want puncture free - go with the Conti Gatorskins. I ride about 5,000 miles per year and have burned through at least 5 of these tires. I keep coming back! At $120 they are an okay deal. But if you are patient, you can often find them under $90 - a great value!
I'm a road cyclist that wants a tire that rolls fast and has good grip--the Continental Grand Prix 5000 hits the mark. They might not have the best puncture protection, but that's to be expected from a tire that's lightweight and has low rolling resistance.
Before ordering, I checked reviews of these tires. Sounded almost too good to be true. Fast, durable, grippy? And in sale! So I put a pair on my Serotta, and I'll be darned: what they say is true. This is a great tire, one of the best.
The go to! Still the one to beat.
I use these (28mm GP5000s) with latex tubes at 80psi rear and a pound or two less in front. I'm about 180 pounds. They are mounted on Velocity Aileron rims optimized for 28mm tires so the tire is the same width as the rim for smooth airflow. I raced road, track, cyclocross and mountain bike most of my life. These tires feel fast and help smooth some of the rough roads. The tread is straight. A lot of expensive tires have wiggly tread and lumps. The GP5000s are straight and smooth with no lumps. The latex tubes not only help them roll easier, but also allow the casing to conform to the road for better cornering traction as well. They wear well and do not cut easily. If I were to to enter some kind competition, I would use carbon wheels and 25mm GP5000s but I like the 28s for comfort and probably would not be at very much of a disadvantage with the 28s being slightly heavier.
My one minor complaint is the tread pattern. There is no need for it and I would perfectly happy with slicks like on any road racing motorcycle. Motos do use rain tires with tread but that's because of the higher speed and larger contact patch. Bicycle tires go a LOT slower and the quarter size contact patch negates any need to "channel" water away.
I put these on a Cannondale HiMod SuperSix and I fly. I've run a few gravel roads and they hold up well.
I use the Conti 5000 on my road bike. It is just an excellent all around road tire with great rolling resistace and durability. The value proposition is really good, particularly when BTB puts these on sale. Don't miss out.
I love the Conny GP 5000, for the money (on sale) the best I've found
My Trek Domane SL7 came with tubeless tires. I didn't want to mess with the whole sealant thing. Switched to the GP 5000 with the conti race tubes when the time came to switch tires. What a difference smoother ride and I am actually going faster. Only problem -not the easy to mount on my carbon rims.
I haven't been on Conti's in several years and when these went on sale I decided to try them again. I got the 30's and they were relatively easy to mount on my Roval rims. Measured out to exactly 30mm wide when aired up to 60 pounds. I'm running latex tubes in mine and this tire/tube combo rides fantastic. Super grippy and stable in corners and buttery smooth. I can really lean the bike on its side and rail corners and turns. After a few hundred miles...no nicks or cuts or flats, I often hit dirt roads and tame gravel sections and they so far have been up to the task. Definitely not a gravel tire but I can pick my way through. So far, great!
Bought new endurance frame and chose these in 32mm for it. Large enough to ride very light gravel and to run pressures low enough for some comfort. I've ridden Conti's 4 Season, 4000 and Hardshells (winter only) for 12 years on three bikes and feel they create a high quality mainstream product that has performed well. 5000s are too new to have much time on them, but initially they are very similar to the 4000s. Rode through several areas of broken glass and the tire didn't pick any up, I have high expectations for these tires and so far they are meeting them.
I haven't ridden Continental tires for several years. I found that the 5000's are as prone to punctures and flats as the 4000's were in the past. Four flats in two months on tubes. These tires are very difficult to mount or remove unless they've been out in the sun for awhile on a warm day. Also, the performance and ride quality of the 5000's is not any greater than other tire brand I've used.
Just read the review from 7/11/2003, stating the Conti GP 5000 were difficult to mount on Mavic Ksyrium Elite rims.
I have three of these wheelsets, and have never had any issues mounting them. I use no tools, only my hands-perhaps a different technique could solve his problems with these tires.
For whatever it is worth, I have worked in the bicycle business for decades, owning a bike shop, and now do charity work in a shop that does charity work that involves restoring bicycles for sale. Also, have been mounting tires on my race bikes (Sew-ups, or tubulars, clinchers, tubeless, etc.) since 1972. So, perhaps I have an advantage on mounting tires.
Perhaps the solution would be for this person to take their Mavic wheels to a bike shop, & get a few pointers there, & hopefully find a slightly different technique that would solve the problem.
Good luck!
The Continental Grand Prix 5000 is the best balanced road tire in my opinion. They roll extremely well, especially paired with Vittoria latex tubes (and I use Panaracer tire powder), and pumped to Silca tire pressure calculator pressures (https://silca.cc/pages/sppc-form). The grip is very reassuring, and I get really good wear on them with the wider rims these days, with just a few cuts (I use shoe goo or similar to patch them). The best part is you can get fast tires with tan sidewalls. Life is too short to run simple black tires...
The Continental Grand Prix 5000 Road tire is a light, durable tire. I have bought three (3) sets to shod my fastest wheel sets. The rolling resistance seems very low and the weight puts it as my lightest clincher tire. Well done Continental!
I'm running this tire (700X30) at 60lb psi front and 65psi in the rear on the road with tubes and I have no issues with fit or flats ... great confidence builder on tight twisty descents with excellent ride feel and traction ! These tires did come in 2mm smaller than claimed but is not an issue for me. They measure at 28.5mm after 1/2 dozen rides and are 100 grams lighter per pair than the next size up at 700X32 ... My set up for these wheels is to have the lightest weight for all the steeps in my zone and would not hesitate to roll out on some mild gravel with the flat protection they have. So far ... the best road tire I've put on.
Easier to change than tubeless ready version. Great if you don't need tubeless. So far no flats ??
Easier to change than tubeless ready version. Great if you don't need tubeless. So far no flats ??